John Primer’s blues legacy awaits its place on the Mississippi Blues Trail
Bluesman John Primer “Sustains the living heritage of the blues,” according to the Chicago Reader newspaper. And it’s that guardianship of the traditional blues that has earned Primer three Grammy nominations and a Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other accolades and awards. Born in Mississippi in 1945, he, like so many others, made the pilgrimage to Chicago, where he has been a significant figure since 1963.
He led the Muddy Waters band for three years and has faithfully carried on that traditional blues legacy through his tenure with Magic Slim & The Teardrops, and then his own Real Deal Blues Band ever since.
It’s also that storied history and reputation that earned him the opportunity to have his birthplace of Camden, Mississippi, designated as a future site for one of the Historic Markers denoting the Mississippi Blues Trail.
But that distinction has also created a problem for the still-touring bluesman. The erection of the marker carries a $10,000-price tag, and funding is no longer available for the ambitious and important initiative that honors blues artists and historic places in Mississippi.
Scott Barretta and Jim O’Neal, of the Mississippi Blues Trail Writing and Research Team, told Blues Rock Review that there was some funding after the initiative began in earnest around 2003, which was designated as ‘The Year of the Blues’ by Congress. As a result, Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove created a Mississippi Blues Commission.
“The actual trail began amongst the team that was putting together the B.B. King Museum (the efforts began around 2003 — it opened in 2008) in association with the Blues Highway Association,” recounted Barretta.
In an article O’Neal wrote for the Mississippi Blues Trail issue of Living Blues, he reported that the “Mississippi Senate Bill 2082 formally established the commission, effective as of July 1, 2004, to develop a plan to promote authentic Mississippi ‘blues’ music and ‘blues culture’ for purposes of economic development” and “to purchase and erect ‘Mississippi Blues Trail’ historical markers with the assistance of the Mississippi Department of Transportation.”
Barretta explained further, “The funding formula was initially that a municipality covered half the cost, and that a bundle of grants paid the other half. That bundle of funds ran out years ago, but it’s also the case that the Trail got much bigger nonetheless. We were authorized to do 120—there are now about 220 markers.”
“The first marker went up on December 11, 2006, in Holly Ridge, the burial place of Charley Patton, he noted.
Outlining the process for inclusion, Barretta said, “We have a committee that takes issues under consideration. We ask, is someone ‘big’ enough to warrant their own marker, or should they perhaps be included on a city/town marker instead? One of our major rules is that the artist/site has to have 25 years of history. We later began placing markers covering multiple artists who were from the same town/city rather than focusing on one big artist from that place.”
Donations are now accepted through the website, and support for specific markers can be designated by the donor. Barretta explained, “We don’t actively tell the general public to contribute to paying for markers, but we do have the Mississippi Blues Foundation, which pays for things including assistance to ailing artists or burial fees, underwriting non-profit festivals and events.”
Specific to Primer, he acknowledged, “Right now, John Primer is trying to raise money for a marker that was approved, and he and his wife Lisa have sent out notices saying that people can send money to the MS Blues Foundation and note what it should it go to.”
Primer told BRR that he is honored to have his name included and is looking forward to having a marker in his hometown. “I know a lot of legendary bluesmen have passed on. I’m lucky enough to still be alive; most of the others are gone. It means a lot to me to let people know where I’m from and the work I’ve done for the blues.”
Besides the actual markers, the initiative boasts an impressive website packed with information, links, photos, maps, videos, calendar of events and facts about the organization and its ongoing work.
The website clearly outlines the core premise: “The Mississippi Blues Trail markers tell stories through words and images of bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music. The sites run the gamut from city streets to cotton fields, train depots to cemeteries, and clubs to churches. We have a lot to share, and it’s just down the Mississippi Blues Trail.”
For honorees, like John Primer, the Trail signifies a deep connection to the roots of the blues and their historical, artistic and emotional contributions to the architecture of the American art form now embodied in the Mississippi Trail Markers.
For more information visit https://msbluestrail.org/
